romance

Review: The Folklore of Forever (Moonville #2) by Sarah Hogle

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

The Folklore of Forever (Moonville, #2)The Folklore of Forever by Sarah Hogle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Folklore of Forever is the 2nd-book in the Moonville series by Sarah Hogle. If I’m understanding it correctly, these are companion novels following various characters in the town of Moonville, Ohio.

The 1st-book, and this one, follow sisters, but I’m not sure if all the books are going to follow sisters in this family, who are maybe witches, or if other townsfolk will be included. Nevertheless, it includes many whimsical witchy vibes.

In this one, we’re following Zelda Tempest, a paranormal skeptic, and Morgan Angelopoulos, a ghost-hunting podcast host with a deep desire for magic.

Zelda’s family, the Tempests, include a history of alleged witches, including her two sisters, but Zelda doesn’t get down with all of that. Even though she’s made her living writing paranormal mystery books, she’s not a believer.

She’s recently returned to her hometown of Moonville with a case of writer’s block, hoping it will inspire her creativity in some way. It’s there she begins having run-ins with the handsome man next door, Morgan.

Morgan ends up convincing Zelda to go on one of his ghost-hunting romps with him, exploring a local haunted property, and it’s during this night out that Zelda discovers something disturbing about herself. She can see whimsical creatures lurking in the Moonville woods that no one else can see.

Maybe her sisters aren’t just faking it. Perhaps she has magical powers too? She and Morgan pair up and lean into Zelda’s creature spotting abilities, delving deep into Moonville’s woods to see what else could be hidden there.

This was such an oddly-composed book. I felt compelled to keep reading, but couldn’t really understand why?

It’s hard to explain. It’s not bad by any stretch, but yeah, definitely just a head-scratching, middle of road experience for me. It’s also a bit outside my comfort zone, as I don’t tend to vibe well with light-whimsical stories. I prefer a lot of dark, danger and dread with my whimsy.

Additionally, the story itself was ALL over the place. It was enchanting, but in a Luna Lovegood-when you first meet her-kind of way.

You wonder, is she okay? And of course, she is, she’s great, but at times hard to understand.

The writing style is eccentric, and both the character interactions and the plot felt chaotic. With this being said though, I did enjoy watching the relationship between Zelda and Morgan develop.

While it was certainly the oddest Romance book I’ve ever read, I think for people who enjoy this type of story, especially the Cottagecore vibes, this could work quite well.

It does get really wild towards the end. I was laughing out loud, like it really got that wild. It was fun though. I certainly never could have predicted all that happened.

I am interested, believe it or not, in picking up the other books in this series. As oddly compelling as it is, I want to get the other sister’s stories as well.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even though a little out of my element, I still enjoyed my time with this.

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Review: Only in Your Dreams (Oakwood Bay #1) by Ellie K. Wilde

~ megs14malloy

Only in Your Dreams: A Novel (Oakwood Bay, #1)Only in Your Dreams: A Novel by Ellie K. Wilde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Don’t be fooled by this cutesy cover, Only in Your Dreams is hot, hot, hot, and lucky me, it’s just my kind of spice!

In this book, we are following Melody Woods and Zac Porter. Melody has just returned to her hometown of Oakwood Bay, after a decade away, following a painful breakup.

She’s moved in with her twin brother, Parker, and is trying to process everything. In an effort to encourage her out of her funk, Parker has been pushing her to take his spot on an upcoming camping trip with his friends.

To be fair, some of them used to be Melody’s friends, including Zac, Parker’s best friend, and the boy who broke her heart 10-years ago. Whatever. She’s so disconnected with all things Oakwood Bay at this point.

Parker’s best friend, Zac, a college football coach, is reeling Melody is back in town. He messed things up with her 10-years ago, and has never truly forgiven himself for it.

When she shows up at the campsite in Parker’s place, he can hardly believe it. Maybe this is his chance to win her back?

But with Melody focused on getting back on her feet and returning to the city, and with Zac stressing over his team’s lack of wins, will he be able to put the proper time into winning back Melody’s affections?

Adding complication to the matter, they have to keep any sort of relationship they have a total secret from Melody’s brother, Parker, who Zac knows would flip his top if he thought they were getting involved.

There were so many aspects of this that I absolutely adored. I loved the small town feel and all the characters that we got to meet over the course of the story. I’m excited to find out what other characters we’re going to follow in this series of companion novels. There’s so many options!

The chemistry between Melody and Zac was off the charts. I loved the banter, and getting both perspectives, to know what they were thinking along the way, was so fun. I know Wilde will be delivering more of that in the next books.

I’ve never actually read a Sports Romance before. Football is my sport and apparently, this is the Romance I didn’t know I needed; following a College Football Coach?

Yes, please!!!

I really appreciated that too. That we were following the coaching staff, as opposed to the players. There’s nothing wrong, of course, with following the players, it’s just when you think of a coaching staff, and the men and women in those positions, they are usually people who are of a certain age, or maturity level.

Zac is DEFINITELY young for a head coach, but it’s a smaller school and he’s a local guy, so that does make sense. Zac did have a maturity level about him though that was respectable. Particularly, in regards to how focused he was on making Melody know how special, and loved, she was.

This does explore some emotional abuse and gaslighting from Melody’s previous relationship, and I felt that was handled fairly well. She was definitely on a journey, and I liked that it took her some time to process it all, as opposed to just hanging out with another guy and being over it.

Overall, I had an absolute blast with this one. Look, we all have our things. Romance, particularly Steamy Romance is very subjective. We all have our likes, dislikes, turn-ons and offs, and yeah, let’s be honest, kinks.

Read this if you are into Alpha Male Energy: protective, yet supportive, tats, and aggressive dirty talk. Don’t read if you don’t like these things, cause there’s a lot of them.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I have a copy of the next book, Only Between Us, and I’m hoping to pick it up soon!

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Review: Fan Service by Rosie Danan

~ megs14malloy

Fan ServiceFan Service by Rosie Danan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Fan Service is a light Paranormal Contemporary Romance novel from Rosie Danan. I really enjoyed Danan’s last novel, Do Your Worst, so was excited to check this one out.

In this story, we’re following Alex Lawson and Devin Ashwood through alternating perspectives.

Devin is an actor who starred in a CW-style werewolf television series, The Arcane Files. Alex is the girl who created and moderated the largest fan forum for the show.

We find out early on that the two actually met at a Con years before the start of our novel. Unfortunately, for Alex, the old adage ‘never meet your heroes’ turned out to be true. She overheard Devin making nasty comments about her and the costume she made; crushing for a teen.

Even years later, even as she’s internet famous for knowing everything there is to know about TAF, Alex holds a secret-disdain for its most famous star, Devin freaking-Ashwood.

Ever since the show went off the air, Devin has found his life in a steadily downward spiral. The morning he wakes up naked in the woods with the no memory of the night before though, that may be rock bottom.

The recollections he does have, not to mention the witness reports, are disturbing. Like claws, fangs and howling. Certainly, the full moon was a coincidence, but maybe it’s not. Is Devin literally turning into a werewolf?

Desperate for answers, Devin seeks out the one person who seems to know all there is to know about werewolves, at least the ones portrayed in The Arcane Files, the moderator of the popular fan forum.

Thus, Alex and Devin’s paths cross again. This time they’re on more equal ground though, and in fact, Alex may have the advantage. Devin doesn’t remember her, and she can play this any way she wants.

Ultimately, Devin pleading for help, makes Alex an offer she can’t refuse and the two begin working together to figure this thing out. Before you know it, walls are coming down and an animal attraction is growing strong.

Fan Service is a great read. I enjoyed a lot of aspects of the story. It’s an understandable romance, with a ton of solid character work, but it was a little too drawn out for my tastes, I have to admit.

While I enjoyed learning about both of our main characters, I feel like I almost learned too much about them. Hahaha, is that even a thing?

IDK, but it is the feeling I walked away with.

I’m not sure what specifically I would have cut out of it, but yeahhh, I just feel like all the details started to weigh the story down a bit. It sucked some of the fun out of it for me.

Nevertheless, it had a lot of positives, not least of which was the lovely conclusion. I also thought the steamy bits were great; definitely my kind of kink, and I appreciated the work the author put into Alex and Devin.

Trust, they were FULLY developed.

The more I think about it, the more I think I should round this rating up — LOL. Don’t be surprised if you see that little tick up at some point in the future.

I did love the banter between the two and Devin’s thoughts, in particular, cracked me up. It was definitely a slower build, but also still full of enjoyable content.

I would definitely recommend this one to Readers who enjoy some steam and werewolves. Also, solid fandom vibes for those, like myself, who love that type of thing in a story.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m definitely excited to keep picking up more from this author!

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Review: Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama #2) by Kristy Boyce

~ megs14malloy

Dating and DragonsDating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Dating and Dragons is the 2nd-book in the Dungeons and Drama YA-Romance series.

These books are companion novels that revolve around RPG-gaming, in particular, and as you may have guessed from the titles, Dungeons and Dragons.

In this installment, we’re following Quinn and Logan. Quinn has recently moved and is starting at a new high school. She hopes that joining a D&D group will be her opportunity to make some new friends.

Logan, is a participant in said D&D group, a bit of a leader and a hunk to boot. He’s charming, handsome and genuine, but there’s a catch. There’s a rule, agreed to by all members that they will not date other members.

Therefore, no matter how much chemistry Quinn and Logan are feeling, they cannot take the bait. Quinn really needs to be a part of this group. She left her old school under bad circumstances, and she’s not willing to be friendless again.

But maybe, baby, they could spend some time together secretly. That couldn’t hurt? Could it?

I loved this just as much as Dungeons and Drama!! I hope there are going to be more books in this series.

There’s something about Boyce’s character work that is just so sweet and compelling. I’ve loved every background of every character in these books.

The gaming element in this one, the D&D group involved, was so great and felt more in-depth than the gaming in the 1st-book. I loved that aspect. I’m not sure if that is true, or just my perception, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

I also adored Quinn as a main character, and even Logan. I’ll admit he had me swooning and blushing more than once. The chemistry between them was also so well done.

The secrecy and the way everything was resolved, Boyce did a great job developing all of that. There were moments when I wanted to shake them both (miscommunication, it’s a thing), but I still felt like it was realistically portrayed.

I’m not sure what the plan is for this series, if there will be more or not, but if there is, you better believe that I’m 1000% on board for it. These books have both made me giddy with how good they are.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Romance, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from Kristy Boyce.

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Review: The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea

~ megs14malloy

The Jewel of the IsleThe Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emily Edwards, grieving the loss of her beloved father, vows to complete his National Park bucket list, beginning with Isle Royale, a rugged and isolated island cluster set in Lake Superior; home to predators and shipwrecks.

The problem is, Emily is not an outdoors girlie. She was always too anxious to join her Dad when he wanted to do this kind of thing, so if she is going to make the Isle Royale trip a success, she’s gonna need to hire a guide.

There’s also one other problem. Emily sort of waited until the last minute to procure said guide and at such a late date, pretty much everyone is booked.

She ends up contacting Fleet Outdoor Adventures. She knows nothing about this company, like the fact that they’ve been pretty much dormant since the co-owner, and expert outdoorsman, Caleb Fleet, tragically passed away.

His brother, Ryder, tried to keep the company afloat, but it has sort of petered out. Nevertheless, he’s desperate for cash to make an important purchase, so when Emily’s inquiry comes in, unprepared as he is, he accepts.

They’re both fish out of water from the start, and also end up clashing like oil and vinegar, but determined to stick it out for varying personal reasons, they soon find themselves doing the thing; deep in the wilderness.

They aren’t the only ones on Isle Royale though, and they end up being witnesses to a vicious crime, and soon find themselves on the run from a group of rogue archaeologists searching for a precious jewel.

The dangerous and stress-filled circumstances end up pushing the two closer-and-closer together, until it is less oil and vinegar and more peanut butter and jelly.

While this analogy may seem silly, I think you get the point. There are sparks in more than just the campfire…

This story was a great fit for my tastes. I enjoyed both of these characters so much, and the dual narration of the audiobook was so well done. Their comedic timing had me laughing out loud, especially Ryder’s perspective.

Honestly, this was what I was hoping Raiders of the Lost Heart would be ((and wasn’t)). I can’t wait to read more from Kerry Rea if this is the level of humor, heart and plot we’re going to get every time.

There wasn’t a lot of steam, but honestly, I liked that and thought it fit very well given the set of circumstances our characters find themselves in. Eventually, there is some though and it was worth the wait.

There is a ton of great character development though, as well as a fun and exciting plot. It was, naturally, giving me Romancing the Stone vibes in such a fresh, modern way.

I appreciated the exploration of grief and felt the author did a great job presenting those very serious topics, while also managing to keep the overall narrative light and engaging.

Overall, I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy adventurous Adult Contemporary stories with forced proximity, pining and thorough character development.

I would also highly recommend the audio format, if you have it available to you. The dual narration and narrator’s voices/delivery were perfection. It absolutely brought it to life.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am definitely excited to read more from this author!

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Review: Rise and Divine (The Witches of Thistle Grove #5) by Lana Harper

~ megs14malloy

Rise and Divine (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #5)Rise and Divine by Lana Harper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Rise and Divine is the 5th-book in The Witches of Thistle Grove series. This is an Adult Romance series all set in the quaint town of Thistle Grove, where witch families can live and pursue their various passions and gifts.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the books are all companion novels. They take place in the same small town, following the same timeline, but each book focuses on different main characters.

In this installment, we’re following Dasha Avramov and Ivy Thorn. For those familiar with this series, you’ll definitely recognize these names, and if you’re not, it doesn’t matter, you can still read this book and enjoy the story.

Dasha is a special kind of witch. She’s what’s known as a devil eater, which means she has a very rare ability that allows her to banish demons and traverse the veil. It’s also on of the most dangerous affinities.

Since the loss of her parents, Dasha finds herself, in her grief, more and more curious about what lies beyond the veil; in a very unhealthy way.

She’s also been isolating herself from family, friends and as much as she can, the rest of the community. All that’s about to change though, when she is forced to work with her old flame, Ivy Thorn, to plan an upcoming local festival.

The tension is high between the two, but it’s obvious a spark is still smoldering. Their work forces them into contact, but that work on the festival starts to pale in comparison to the teamwork needed to defeat the otherworldly force suddenly focused on their town.

Through these treacherous circumstances, the two women start to open up to one another, and trust another once again, but will it be enough to make this second-chance romance a success?

I’m going to be brutally honest for a minute; wild, I know. I haven’t been blown away by any of the books in this series. Sometimes, I wonder why I am continuing with it at all.

They’ve all been a bit mediocre for me, but with this being said, every time I see a new one announced, I get excited to see what characters it will follow and what the basic plot will be. Also, the cover art. I always love it.

So, at the end of the day, while I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a series that will blow your hair back, there’s still something so cozy and relaxing about returning to Thistle Grove. Each book brings something new and examines romantic relationships in a different way.

I liked the second-chance romance element. To me, it seemed unlikely Dasha would be able to give Ivy what she needs in the long run, but I’ll let you read it and decide for yourself whether or not that’s true.

I did really enjoy the darker elements in this one. The threat to the town felt real. I liked how brave the women were in taking that on; particularly, Dasha.

Yeah, if there’s another book, I’m game. I like this town. I think it is fun to see where each new book is going to go. Do I think they’re the most memorable romances in the world? No, but also, I’m still here for what they are.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I always appreciate it!

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Review: Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura

~ megs14malloy

Temple of SwoonTemple of Swoon by Jo Segura
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

🧡💜💚🧡💜💚🧡💜💚🧡💜💚🧡

Dr. Miriam Jacobs is on the most important mission of her life, to find Cidade da Lua, the Lost City of the Moon, in the Amazon rainforest. It’s her first chance to lead an expedition and prove herself as a serious archaeologist.

Rafael Monfils is a journalist who has joined the expedition, with the hopes of chronicling their search for the lost city, or at least that’s what they think he’s doing.

In truth, Rafael is on a mission of his own, and that’s to stop the team from ever setting eyes on Cidade da Lua, thus protecting his mother’s legacy. All he needs to do is keep them off the correct path.

Once Rafa meets Dr. Jacobs though, he has a really hard time staying focused on his task. The more he gets to know her, the more he wants her to succeed. What’s a guy to do?

As they get further into the jungle, it becomes clear they aren’t the only ones searching for the Lost City. Soon, Rafa’s mixed feelings and Dr. Jacobs’s imposter syndrome are going to be the least of their worries.

Temple of Swoon was lightyears beyond Segura’s 1st-book, Raiders of the Lost Heart, for me, to which this is a companion novel. I enjoyed these main characters, Rafa and Miri, soooo much more, though I still had some slight issues with it.

Nevertheless, I am very happy I picked it up and am glad I took another chance on this author. If there’s another companion novel, I’m def game.

It’s funny, one of the things that I disliked the most about the Raiders of the Lost Heart was the female main character, Dr. Corrie Mejía. Going into this I thought, it’s fine, this one follows different people, you won’t have to deal with her.

While that may be true, at the start of this book, as we’re meeting our new female lead, Miri, we learn she is sort of a mentee of Corrie in the archaeological space, and Corrie handpicks her for this position.

At the start, Miri goes on and on about how drop-dead, off-the-charts, hot Corrie is. No other woman ever has, or ever will, compare to her. ((puke)) That was one of the things that drove me nuts about the 1st-book, and here it was, rearing it’s ugly head yet again!!

Luckily though, that trend did sort of peter out as the story went along. I did like how quickly this kicked off as far as Miri and Rafa’s meet cute. I liked their chemistry from the start and enjoyed watching their relationship grow.

The way this author writes sex scenes are not at all to my tastes, they’re definitely more ewww than awww for me, but what I did appreciate here was the genuine conversations that Miri and Rafa had.

I liked the more serious sides of the story a lot. We delved into Miri’s insecurities, as well as Rafa’s family stuff and I felt that was very well developed.

Overall, I enjoyed this so much more and am really glad that I gave this author another shot. I feel like if her work keeps progressing we could have a real win with the next book. I’m looking forward to it!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me a copy to read and review. I enjoyed this romantic adventure!

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Review: Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney

~ megs14malloy

Take Me HomeTake Me Home by Melanie Sweeney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Take Me Home follows Hazel and Ash. Ash has been in love with Hazel since high school when she was dating his best friend, but of course, he’s never told her that.

Even years later, Hazel acts like Ash only exists to annoy her. He works at her favorite coffee shop, where he’s constantly battling her for her favorite chair. Just why?

With the holidays approaching, Hazel gets a summons from her father to return home to their small-town of Lockett Prairie, Texas, to attend his wedding.

Hazel hasn’t been back there since she fled for college. It’s the last thing she wants to do, and even though she and her Dad aren’t that close, she feels obligated.

Coincidentally, at the same time, Ash needs to get home as soon as possible to deal with a pressing family issue. Of course, his junker car breaks down just prior to him wanting to leave and he doesn’t have the funds to repair it.

Watching him struggle trying to figure out a way home, Hazel eventually succumbs and offers to give him a ride, but there will be rules.

I’m not gonna tell you the rules, just know the stage is set for a wonderfully-adorable road trip, which includes cute car banter, inclement weather, strange diner experiences and a B&B stay with only one bed.

All this is just the start though. Once they hit Lockett Prairie, the gloves come off, and these frenemies begin to rely on each other for a lot more than an impromptu ride home.

Y’all, I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this. It was so unexpected. I mean, I shouldn’t say it that way, I thought I would enjoy it, but like, I loved this.

It pulled me in so quickly. I read it in less than 24-hours, absolutely flying through it, just eating it up. Both Ash and Hazel brought so much to the story. I loved watching them really get to know one another.

This book does feature a lot of my favorite tropes, so that def worked in my favor. The road trip, the witty banter, the forced proximity, frenemies to lovers; it had it all.

My only small gripe would be how much these characters went through emotionally in such a small frame of time. We’re talking mere days. That felt a little unbelievable to me, but that was such a minor thing, it didn’t impact my overall experience too much.

Also, with this being said, I did truly appreciate how the author balanced all the difficult real world family issues, with the cuter romantic bits. I felt that was well executed.

One small side note, even though this is categorized as Adult, I would point out that it is more specific to call in New Adult. I feel like that’s an important distinction to make, because some Adult Readers may feel like this reads a little young, even though the characters are technically adults.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I need more Melanie Sweeney in my life!!!

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Review: First Time Caller by B.K. Borison

~ megs14malloy

First Time CallerFirst Time Caller by B.K. Borison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

In First Time Caller, we meet Lucie, a car mechanic with a precocious 12-year old daughter, and Aidan, a radio personality who hosts a late night romance hotline.

Concerned that her Mom might be lonely, Lucie’s daughter, Maya, calls into Aidan’s show, Heartstrings, seeking dating advice for her Mom.

When Lucie discovers what Maya has been up to, she’s understandably mortified. The last thing she needs is all of Baltimore hearing about her pathetic social life.

Nevertheless, Lucie finds herself opening up during an on-air call with Aidan that ends up captivating the listeners and Aidan alike. For someone who has become so disengaged with his work lately, this is a great feat.

The higher-ups at Aidan’s station take notice once Lucie and Aidan’s call goes viral. They want more and the city of Baltimore wants Lucie to have her happy ending. The station is determined to deliver.

Lucie then becomes a regular guest on Aidan’s show, under the guise of finding her a perfect match. As the two begin spending more time together though, something starts smoldering, and Aidan’s not so sure he wants to be setting Lucie up on dates with strangers.

Could Lucie’s happily ever after be sitting right across from her in the cramped radio show room?

First Time Caller was so, so cute and very close to perfect for my tastes. I loved the full cast of quirky characters, as well as all the different kinds of relationships and types of love displayed throughout.

Of course, this is first a foremost a story of romantic love, but the love found within the elements surrounding Lucie’s family, as well as the found family at her workplace, those were some of my favorite elements of the entire book.

With this in mind, I felt like Borison did a great job balancing the romance along with some true character development. I loved both of these main characters and felt they equally contributed to my attachment with the story.

The pining! Oh my goodness, it just melted my heart and I felt like the relationship between Aidan and Lucie blossomed in such an organic way. It was a delight to read.

There was like one sex scene that wasn’t quite for me, kind of cringe, as well as a few of the miscommunication bits towards the end, I could have done without, but I understand why the author included them and it’s just a personal taste thing at the end of the day.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is my first Borison, and I’m definitely looking forward to more!

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Review: The Rival by Emma Lord

~ megs14malloy

The RivalThe Rival by Emma Lord
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

I’m not apologizing anymore. I’m done. Let it be known, I love Emma Lord, her stories, her characters, her wit and the themes she chooses to explore in her books.

I’ve never walked away disappointed. They’re silly, cutesy and so dang full of heart and humor. I’m a fan. A big, big, huge, unapologetic fan.

In this story we follow Sadie, who is excited to shake off the constraints of her small town and family, as she starts her first year at Maple Ridge College.

She’s most excited to focus on her writing, as she competes for a spot at the college’s famous zine. What she wasn’t expecting was to have to compete against her lifelong academic rival, Sebastian, for the spot.

Sadie and Seb’s parents are best friends, and thus they’ve been shoved into each other’s orbits their whole lives. Unfortunately, it seems they are always trying to out-do one another, so the relationship has been contentious.

Traditionally, Maple Ridge has selected one student from their high school to attend, so Sadie thought she was golden. Apparently, Seb worked his way off the wait list though, probably just to be the bane of Sadie’s existence.

Of course, he also wants to write for the zine, even though unlike Sadie, his long-term plan isn’t to be a writer. At least, not if his Dad has anything to say about it.

Even though she wants to continue to look at Seb with nothing but contempt, in this new setting, with more on the line and less support, he becomes a bit of a comfort as she transitions to college life.

Before they know it, they seem to be working together in a way they never have before, and also starting to feel things they’ve never felt before.

This was so cute. It’s such an Emma Lord story. She has such a style and formula, and darn it, it works. I find myself becoming completely invested in her characters, no matter what they are going through.

I feel like nobody writes inner-turmoil, or self-doubt, quite like Emma Lord. She makes everything relatable and understandable. It’s hard not to root for her main characters.

I love academic rival situations anyway, so this was sort of set-up to be a win for me. There’s something so sexy about two individuals battling it out with their big brains.

I also love Lord’s side characters. There’s never anyone who feels superfluous. Every player has a point, a reason for being there, and a well-developed personality to boot.

In this, both Sadie and Seb have some issues they’re working through in regards to their families. I thought those aspects were very well done. There are def some complex feelings to work through as you move out of the family home for the first time, and that was examined in detail here.

I would recommend the audiobook if you have access to it. The narration was so great as a voice for Sadie’s perspective. I had such a good time listening to it.

There were moments that I was laughing out loud, and others were I was nodding in understanding. Just a really well rounded YA Contemporary.

If you’ve loved Emma Lord before, or want to try her work for the first time, you should really check this one out!

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Keep ’em coming, Emma Lord!

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